FANTASY HCIBON- FIELD Founded by Julius Unger

Volume 1 ,,. BI-WEEKLY .., number 11

June L}., 1963 The National Fantasy Review Whole Number 11

SPOTLIGHT on the PUBLISHERS THE SCIENCE FICTION SCHEDULE at Ace Books continuos to be heavy. Don Wollheim says Ace has just signed with the Burroughs estate as the authorized publisher of the paperback editions of all ERB books ill the Pellucidar and Venus series and will be doing "Carson of Venus," “Escape on Venus, ” "Back to the Stone Age," and others as soon as possible. Ace will also publish the paperback edition of the unpublished Pellucidar novel and "Beyond the Farthest Star,"

Upcoming in the-summer is “Envoy to Nev; Worlds" by Keith Laumer (the Retief novelets), "Flight From Yesterday" by Robert Moore Williams, "Space Vikings" by II. Beam Piper, "Huon of the Horn" by Andre Norton, "Star Ways" by Poul Anderson, a double book by John Brunner, and "The Land of Hidden Hen" by Edgar Rico Burroughs,

Among items coming, but not as yet scheduled, is a double "Rim" book by A, Bertram Chandler, works by Van Vogt, Fritz Leiber, Ray Cummings, and others, ■K- * ARKIIAM HOUSE ’S 1963 BULLETIN was recently released, and the forthcoming books were listed in detail in an earlier FFF (#8), To repeat briefly for those who came in late: "The Dunwich Horror and Others" by II, P. Lovecraft is planned for June 1£, "Collected Poems" by Lovecraft in June, "Who Fears the Devil?" by Manly Wade Wellman in September, "The Dark Han and Others" by Robert E. Howard in November, and "100 Books By August Derleth" in a limited printing, which is now available,

"Mr, George and Other Odd Persons" by Stephen Grendon, which was to be published in 1961|., has been moved up and trill probably be published in October, 1963. "Selected Letters I" by Lovecraft, due in 196L>., is now being prepared, and “Over the Edge," an anthology of unpublished stories by various authors, is well under tray, Down for 196£ is Smith's "Tales of Science and Sorcery," August Derleth, Arkham director, reports that the following of his _ anthologies have been-purchased for paperback reprint in England: "The Sleeping and the Dead, ’5' "Dark Mind, Dark Heart," "The Other Side of the Moon," "Worlds of Tomorrow, 11 "Night’s Yawning Peal," "Time to Come," and "The Outer Reaches," Of more interest to those who go for the Sherlock Holmes type of fiction: Derleth’s "The Casebook of Solar Pons" is half finished, and there are three new tales coning up in the maga­ zines. These are "The Adventure of the Whispering Knights" in SAINT MYSTERY, "The Adventures of the Haunted Library" and "The Intarsia Box" in HITCHCOCK ’S MYSTERY MAGAZINE.

page 1 - — _------—— —------——...... ~T FANTASY FICTION FIELD is published bi-weekly by Harvey Inman, 102? Elm Street, Grafton, Ohio, Associate Editor: Paul Scaramazza,161£ West Street, Union City, New Jersey, Subscription price: 13 is ~ sues for one dollar or 26 for two dollars. All checks or money orders should be sent to and made payable to Harvey Inman.,

FANFARE—assorted items According to TV GUIDE, the BAC television network is continuing plans for that science fiction series for the I963-6I4. seasons. It was origi­ nally supposed to be called "Please Stand By,'* then the title was chan­ ged to "Beyond Control," and now it has been named "Outer Limits,11 It will apparently have a new drama each program, in the manner of "Twi­ light Zone," instead of running serials,

Robert and Juanita Coulson (Route 3, Wabash, Indiana) will do your mimeo work for you for a fee. This fee will have to be worked out personally with the Coulsons and will vary according to the work involved. This service will even be carried to the extent of stamping, addressing, and mailing when desired. Buck says he can also probably get you a new raimeo at a discount from the list price. The machines are made by Vari-Color and sell for a reasonable price. The .Sears mimeo which the Coulsons used to publish-YANDRO for nine years was made by Vari-Color. And for what it is worth, FFF is currently reproduced on a Vari-Color, (Yes, I do give free plugs when I ajn in the mood.)

Harry Warner, Jr, alleges that he has now started the actual writing on his long-awaited fan history on an every-day basis. He doubts anyone will believe this report, however, since he has predicted the start so many times in the past.

The new FAPA mailing was only 2^3 pages in size, but more, is on the way. To be postiaailod are at least five publications which arrived too late for the bundle, including the egoboo poll results and the last FAPA contribution from Phyllis Economou, who is resigning from the organi­ zation for lack of time,

Larry Shaw is leaving Chicago and Regency Books and returning East as an editor for Lancer Books. The change will be made in late June,

Lynn Hickman, who has practically dropped out of sight of fandom for a whilo, is reportedly in training to manage stores for Sears-Roebuck* He spent a month stationed near South Bend, Indiana, and had a get- together with Betty Kujawa while there. He is now supposed to be in Norwalk, Ohio, in care of general delivery for a month or so, "The Tin Drum" by Gunter Grass is the current Book of the Month Club fiction alternate, one of the rare books with a fantasy theme to be selected. It is a long combination of fantasy, farce, and satire about an amoral superman. The hero supposedly symbolizes the German people, or the worst things about the Gorman people. It has already boen widely acclaimed in Germany and France. The author is a young man from Danzig, now living in Berlin. #

page 2 I HE FANZINE FIELD by Hike Deckinger

HAU1TTED #1 (quarterly, £0^, Samuel D, Russell, 201oA 21st Street, Santa Monica, California) In his editorial, Saia explains that IIAul’TED will be devoted to serious and constructive examinations in the weird-super­ natural -horror genre, emulating the paths blazed by THE ACOLYTE and FAfTASY COMMENTATOR. This issue bears no trace of the adolescent poli­ cies which marked the various regrettable fanzines of the FAMOUS MOB­ STERS crowd, whose knowledge of fandom has been as limited as their knowledge of how to publish a good fanzine. The cover of HAUNTED is an extremely good lithographed graveyard scene, and the contents is of a consistently high calibre, Robert Bloch writes an optimistically prophetic article foreseeing a resurgence in fantasy in the various mediums. Some of the points he advances are blunted by the non-compli­ ance of reality, but he does state enough feasible suppositions to make me wonder if perhaps he isn't right. I tend to adopt the pessimist's viewpoint on matters like this. HAUNTED is not worth just yet, not for 17 pages of sketchy lithography and identifiable hand dram headings that tend to impart a decidedly juvenile look to the zinc. But it is worth something, definitely.

AXE 2nd Annish (monthly, ^2,00 a year, Larry and Moreen Shaw, 123^ Oak Avenue, Evanston, Illinois) Still maintaining its image as a chatty genzine, AXE celebrates its second annish with a good printed cover and a nice tinted inside headin,';, A printed filler on the first page anno- ounces that Earl Kemp (of CHICOH and A TRIP TO HELL FAME) is the father of a son. Some spotty news items, a couple genuinely new to me are followed by the final installment of Dick Lupoff's fanzine review column, in which he gives the unsettling prediction that the numerous fringe fandoms (monster fandom, Burroughs fandom, comic fandom, etc., etc,) that have always remained at the periphery of fandom, intruding in small palatable doses, will overtake fandom as we know it. This alteration is not something I look foreward to with much eagerness* a short interlude with comic book and satire fandom has convinced me that this branch has as much chance of registering an influential position as a Republican in a Russian election, Bhob Stewart perceptively analyzes the non-fantasy, but highly experimental French film "Zazis," which conclusively proves that I overlooked several cogent interpre­ tations when I first saw it. He hints that Bloch may not have been the chief culprit responsible for the recent "Caligori" film. My secret sources say that a different ending was first composed by Bloch, in which the logical premises aro abruptly refuted at the end by Caligari reverting to his former presence in the midst of the asylum. However, the powers that be ruling Hollywood turned thumbs down on the idea, basing their refusal on some predictably inane contentions, and thus the film was made with the clinical “surprise" ending. Walt Willis has covered everything up to his departure for Chicago so far in his untitled trip report. His initial bout with Greyhound is beautifully detailed here.

page 3 1

THE FANZINE FIELD, continued THE LINDSAY REPORT ($L.OO; Ethel Lindsay, Courage House, 6 Langely Ave., Surbiton, Surrey, England, or Ron Ellik, 182^ Greenfield Ave., Los Angeles, California) I night as well admit it* I like a good travel/ con report, not only for the supplemental'information that I can add to my own knowledge of’the event if attended, but for the candid observa­ tions of the author, who inevitably seeks to impart his/her enthusiasm to the readers via the printed page, That’s why Ethel’s report is a good one. She has no qualms about releasing her verbal pressure in telling of her trip and the numerous incidents surrounding it. The_ trip is written in a coherent, concise manner, tastefully arranged in a diary-like format. Her reactions and feelings arc stated with a good deal of plausibility and general good-naturedness. The numerous ATOM illos perfectly complement her informative writing style,.and the only regrettable feature about the report is a photo page by Dick Eney which came out so badly that most of the subjects are obscured by haze or fuzziness. Ethel also has omitted a photo of herself from this section, an omission that should have been corrected, low about a print of the one Dag took of Ethel standing like a pebble between the two skyscrapers of Dick Eney and Bill Donaho? KIPPLE #39 (LoC, trades, contributions. 20/, irregular, Ted Pauls, U/4.8 Meridene Drive,- Baltimore 12, Maryland) This is basically a typical issue of KIPPLE, which means that if you are interested in non-fannish, topical fanzines you’ll probably enjoy at least some facet of it, and if’not, then you’d better not sample too much of the KIPPLE personality until a taste for it is developed. Ted leads off the issue with an article recounting the failures and inconsistencies^ of progressive education, livened by some meaningful quotes from Marion Z. Hr a. die y* and. Larry McCombs. It represents the usual NIPPLE fare; serious; wordy, thoughtfully constructed and critically analyzed. Elsewhere, zhe letter writers toss around several subjects, the only trouble with this verbal passing'being that it is the dissenting opinion which nearly everyone accepts, so that the only real controversy comes from clippings from sources other than fanzines, which are predictably dissected in the lettered. Even Nadalyn Murray has a few lines here which do little to project a favorable image of herself, despite the downgrading which the Press has given her. I find myself now with a minimum of fanzines I feel like mentioning, and some extra space at the end, so as long as the mood has struck me, I'd like to indulge in some fannish ramblings. A subject ripe for exploitation is where, Jay Klein, is the long overdue CITICON annual? Anyone attending the con must know what it's like to have a flashbulb suddenly thrust at your face and flashed, and submitting to that indig­ nity alone is price enough to pay for the CHICON annual, to say nothing of the monetary sums which a number of fen (including 1) paid co Klein. Delays are always intolerable and only excusable if some reason for uno delay is given. To my knowledge, there has been no word from dem at all on the matter. Unless he is trying to emulate FANAC's- past and present editors when it comes to publishing annuals, I would strongly urge that some explanatory progress report, if not the zme itself, oe issued at once, ■ (continued on page 6)

page 1|. '■ IN THE RACKS EDITORIAL NOTE: This is the first installment of what I hope will become a regular column reviewing the current and recent paperback books. Dick Schultz kicks things off and promises to be a regular contributor, but the eventual success of the column will depend upon reviews from other sources as well. Therefore, consider this an open invitation to all to send in a review when any paperback impresses you. You, too, can be a critic, Just keep the libel laws in mind.

IT WAS THE DAY OF THE ROBOT by Frank Belnap Long, Belmont 90-277, Up- pp,, l|.0p'. Once in a great while a story comes along which doos not follow the usual dictum of Sturgeon’s Law (90$ of everything is bad). And while this one isn’t good it certainly isn’t ordinary, anyways. It is easily one of the ten worst stf novels of this or any other decade. It originally came to the light of day as a short story called "Made to Order,'’ The short story is still there, too. You can just about pick out the sentences and paragraphs of the original from this bloated mess. At every turn,■Long has added sneaky villians, flowery dialogue, detailed, descriptions, lengthy dialogue, and Startling Revelations (of the type that usually appear in cheap thrillers of the mystery field in the last ten pages—you know the type). Included in it are incompetent Thought Police who couldn't direct traffic, situations where^nothing happens, events without meaning, and action without cause, i had to leaf through the book again to even make sure it came to an end, I would not buy another copy even if it were on sale at a used book store at two for a nickel, --Reviewed by Dick Schultz

THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH by Walter Tevis. Gold Medal KL27&, 11^1 PP., and cheap at When Tevis wrote "The Hustler" it was shown that as. a writer he is particularly concerned with the Human'Element. Namely, if his people are granted such and such characteristics, how would they act and think? Here, Tevis has created a physically humanoid, internally dissimilar, alien who comes to Earth to save us, Unlike the usual Simak alien, he does not do this out of the goodness of his heart. He hopes to save Earth for a refuge for his dying race. And to get the remnants here he peddles advanced techniques and inventions and becomes a multi-bil­ lionaire, Then, in Kentucky a spaceship slowly takes shape,,. The.vil- lians in the story are not the FBI and CIA men or even their suspicion. The real villian is human nature. And you finish the book with the un­ comfortable feeling that this is how it could be. It is at no time a chase-and-run epic or thriller. Nor is it filled with Lewis-like Dia­ logue and Revelations of the Alien's Advanced Morality. It is simply top-grade literature. Unfortunately for the general reading public, the mundane reviewers seem to be ignoring the book. The blurbs never mention science fiction, but Tevis is a victim of the usual attitude of complete ignoring of anything that is stf, I say unfortunately for the general reading public because it hangs together better and has more accompli­ shed insight than “The Hustler." It is in every way a better book, but it will probably never receive its due acclaim. --Reviewed by Dick Schultz page £ THE FANZINE FIELD, concluded

Finally, upon reading my prion columns I've noted a distressing and un- escapable fact; I haven't panned any fanzines. Oh, there were some I disagreed with for some reason or other, but none that really promoted me to unleash a stream of verbal sarcasm and criticism. I doubt if this indicates a mellowing on my part; if anything, I'm far more irascible than when I first entered fandom so many years ago; I have witnesses to that fact. '.That it docs indicate, however, is the alarming decrease of crudzines which used to reach me regular as clockwork each month. Where are the crudzines with their illegible pages, unreadable material, and juvenile scribblings? Where are the Jack Cascios and the William Nuemannsand all the other neos determined to see that fanzines could be unreadable in quality and reproduction at the same time? Where is George Wells, who once printed THE SICK ELEPHANT on the back of a plant fertilizing instruction sheet, and Hike Hagerty who wants to jot down the ranks of everyone in fandom? Where are the irregularly cut, heavily offsetted, unevenly stapled piles of paper which regularly announced revolutions in the science fiction world through the presence of some now writer first to appear in their pages?

Where are they? #

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